"Man, it's hot in here," he thought. At hyper speed, he dashed with his spread-out wings. The hot wind pushed against his feathers. The scent was like a spicy explosion going off.
He drew closer, his sight of the kingdom becoming more clear.
But then, an energy beam was fired at him. His wings became the victims of the attack.
"Oh no, I'm going down," Heat said, his wings struggling to maintain balance. He felt the rush of his heart getting faster, his back pushing away the wind. His body felt like falling endlessly into a hole.
He came crashing on the sandy floor, like lightning striking from the raging clouds. "What... just... happened?" he asked, barely able to utter the words. He cried in misery. The pain sank into his heart.
"Hello, Heat. It's been awhile, hasn't it?" a voice in the shadows said as it echoed in his head. Heat felt his heart racing, his body quivering. "No, it couldn't be..." Heat's mind wondered.
He scanned the area, wondering where the voice was coming from. "Damn it," he growled, the voice drawing near. The shadow faded, and Yugitiwa appeared from it.
"What, are you happy to see me?" Yugitiwa said ironically. Heat tried standing on his feet, but his body carried a lot of pain.
"Heat, don't bother. My attack did a number on you," Yugitiwa stated.
"Shut up!" Heat retorted. His face showed bravery, but his heart was drumming loudly inside his chest.
"What do you want from me?" Heat shouted. "Do you want to kill me... just like how you killed... my brothers?"
Yugitiwa smiled menacingly. "Don't worry. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done that ages ago," he said. His voice was light but serious.
"Don't lie to me. I know you, Evil Snake," Heat shot back.
"I'm not lying. I'm just here to talk," Yugitiwa replied. "I know that he returned to you."
"He... who are you talking about?" Heat barked, but sounded confused.
"You know what I'm talking about. Try to remember," Yugitiwa taunted him.
As he spoke in riddles, Heat's mind was lost in a maze."What's he talking about?" he thought.
Yugitiwa saw the confusion playing with Heat.
"Did you meet any darkness on any mission you've been on?" Yugitiwa hinted.
"Darkness?" Heat spoke softly, trying so hard to solve Yugitiwa's mind games. He shook his head. He even slammed it on the ground.
Finally, his mind snapped. The answer drilled into his head. As quick as lightning, he said, "Oh, you're talking about him."
"That fool hasn't changed one bit. He's still the same idiot that betrayed me for some stupid adventure," Yugitiwa thought.
"How... did you... find out?" Heat hesitated.
"I have my ways," Yugitiwa hissed. He slowly approached Heat, taking all the time he needed. "You thought I'd never find out, didn't you? Hoping to keep that secret away from me, but..."
He raised his head and looked straight into his eyes. Heat's blood grew cold, even with the blazing sun's radiation. The air inside his chest thickened. His wings tried to attack him but couldn't.
They still had injuries from the blast earlier. Yugitiwa continued, "You're still as pathetic as your brothers. They were the most pathetic xtros I've ever killed."
"What did you just say?!" Heat burst out.
"They were not pathetic." Dark flames consumed him. Yugitiwa grinned and continued taunting him, "Don't deny the truth. You know that they were weak. They were pawns, and they were..."
Heat shouted in outrage, "Stop talking about them! You don't know a thing about them." The black fire around him spread out. An explosion followed after that. Yugitiwa backed away and saw the explosion from a safe distance.
"Hmm, my plan is working perfectly," Yugitiwa thought. "I want to see him. Show me darkness."
The fire burned across the field. The scent of smoke wrapped the air. "Hello... I'm back to help you... again," the voice in his head returned.
"Wha... who are you? Why are you back in my head?" Heat asked with curiosity but also felt anger.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself," the voice sounded polite. "I'm you. Well... the other side of you. I don't really have a name."
"Are you serious?" Heat was annoyed. "You don't have a name?"
The voice echoed, "I guess you can call me... hmm, how about Ehita? Yeah, call me Ehita."
"Finally," Heat said. A sigh of calmness came out. "Anyway, Ehita... what do you want in my head?"
"I'm here to help you avenge your brothers. Isn't that what you want?" Ehita replied.
The words lured Heat as he felt power surging into his body.
"I can help you destroy Evil Snake. Just let yourself go and let me give you strength," Ehita's words sounded pleasant. Heat hated Yugitiwa so much.
He would give anything to win against him. He allowed the power to control him. His feathers turned black, like the flames around him.
"I will kill you, Yugitiwa Sakukua!" he yelled out in anger. His blood boiled hot. It reached its boiling point.
Heat stood up from the ground. His wings healed themselves. The pain from earlier felt like a memory. Heat unleashed the full extent of his power, black feathers flowing around him.
The feathers attacked Yugitiwa. Countless of them were aimed at him. Yugitiwa grinned menacingly and blocked each one with his tail. Heat dove in at incredible speed. He kicked Yugitiwa with all his might.
The ground crumbled beneath them. The force of the kick cracked the rocky floor.
The ground was left in scars. Yugitiwa barely flinched. The kick felt like a smooth massage.
"Don't compare me to Marisha," Yugitiwa uttered. His voice was calm but heavy and serious.
His tail wrapped around Heat. Yugitiwa glared at him. His eyes shook Heat's dark heart. He squeezed Heat like a lemon, slowly squeezing out the air inside his chest.
"You shouldn't take me for granted," Yugitiwa stated directly. His eyes locked onto Heat's eyes. His grip began to tighten.
"You can't teleport away from me. Not this time," Yugitiwa uttered seriously. "I can slowly kill you right now, without a tear of pity appearing in my eyes."
He raised his head even higher and looked down at Heat. His eyes didn't leave his eyes. It was like a staring contest, but more intense. Heat felt his power slowly fading. Chills ran down his spine, one after another.
Ehita's voice left his mind. The dark flames were extinguished by Yugitiwa's presence.
"But I won't kill you. Not yet. I want to show you that even if you get stronger, you will never defeat me."
"I'm losing consciousness... Is this the end? Am I dying?" Heat thought. His breath weakened, his eyes slowly closing, his bones breaking from Yugitiwa's squeezing.
He leaned his head closer to Heat.
"You're not worth killing," Yugitiwa whispered. "Not yet. Not unless you let your evil side out and embrace the evil."
He unwrapped Heat and vanished like a nightmare.
Heat was left alone, lying unconscious on the sand. Luckily, Heat had insurance. A feather appeared. The feather had a lot of emyiko energy stored in it. It started glowing red, like the sunny sky.
Within minutes, his injuries healed. The broken bones were attached together. The pain drifted away. His eyes opened to see the bright sun. Heat jumped up, expressing the return of his healthy self.
"I almost died," he thought, his wings brushing the sand off his body. The thought kept creeping in, If I embrace my darkness... If I embrace Ehita's power... can I win against him?